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Resident urges pause and transparency for Flock AI cameras; cites security and legal concerns
Summary
A Wenatchee resident asked the council to stop using Flock AI surveillance and to activate a transparency portal, citing security vulnerabilities, outdated device software and potential legal issues around interagency sharing.
WENATCHEE — During public comment at the Wenatchee City Council meeting, resident Sean Tepper urged the city to halt use of AI-powered Flock cameras until the city publishes safeguards and activates a transparency portal that would show when information is being tracked and provide an anonymized audit of searches.
Tepper cited press reporting and a Skagit County Superior Court ruling that Flock photos are public record and warned that sharing network access with agencies such as Border Patrol could risk violations of state law. He also referred to a white paper that lists vulnerabilities, noted that some agencies run Flock equipment on aged Android versions, and said U.S. legislators have requested an FTC probe into the company. Tepper asked the city to provide public transparency tools and to consider disabling national sharing configurations.
The presiding official invited Tepper to submit records to staff for distribution to council and asked legal counsel to review the concerns; no formal directive to suspend system use was issued during the meeting.
